Lower Burrell subdivides former Blockbuster property in hopes for a future sale
It’s yet to be seen what will become of the former Blockbuster store at Burrell Plaza, but officials believe they have made it easier for the landowner to sell the land to prospective buyers. The Lower Burrell Zoning Hearing Board on Monday granted a variance to Widewaters of Syracuse, N.Y.,...
Pittsburgh pool reopens after fatal shooting
Jack Stack Pool in Pittsburgh’s Brighton Heights neighborhood reopened Wednesday with new safety measures in place after a fatal shooting nearby last week. Mayor Ed Gainey and public safety officials said they met with lifeguards and pool management to offer trauma support care, listen to concerns and begin crafting a...
‘It’s always there’: Families of synagogue shooting victims reflect on what’s lost
There’s a weed growing in a bucket on Pittsburgh police SWAT Officer Tim Matson’s porch. It saved his life. Months after he was shot multiple times responding to an active shooter at the Tree of Life synagogue building in Squirrel Hill, Matson said Wednesday, he remained in a dark place....
Date set for inaugural Tour de Sharpsburg
Sharpsburg Community Library has planned a new family activity designed to get people looking at the borough from a different angle. The inaugural Tour de Sharpsburg is set for July 29. Named after the annual multiple-stage bike race, Tour de France, it is a bike ride through town starting at...
Highlands hopes to name 3 new administrators in August
Highlands could have three new administrators when school starts in August. Superintendent Monique Mawhinney said the district is finalizing interviews for the high school assistant principal, the athletic director/transportation director and the elementary associate principal. “Hopefully, we will have the candidates to recommend for approval at the August board meeting,”...
2 sought in beating of Jeannette man
A Jeannette man was left with several facial fractures stemming from an assault last week and police are looking for two suspects. Andrew J. Eberhardt, 22, of Greensburg, and Cassie Ann Sorice, 20, of Pitcairn, are charged with conspiracy in connection with the beating at a North Seventh Street apartment...
Plum graduate Rick Walsh named district superintendent
Rick Walsh is the new superintendent of the Plum School District. Walsh, previously assistant and deputy superintendent and briefly interim superintendent, replaces Brendan Hyland, who resigned effective June 30 to become superintendent of the North Allegheny School District. At its meeting Tuesday, the Plum School Board unanimously approved a five-year...
Lower Burrell man accused of exchanging nicotine vape cartridge for sex with 15-year-old faces felony charge
Lower Burrell police accused a man of having sex with a 15-year-old in exchange for a nicotine vape cartridge last year and trying to do the same thing with a 14-year-old a month earlier. Dylan Michael Jacobs, 20, of the 100 block of Reed Street in Lower Burrell was charged...
Pittsburgh police chief says staffing ‘not in crisis’ despite officer shortage
Pittsburgh Police Chief Larry Scirotto said the police bureau’s staffing levels are “not in crisis,” as officials on Wednesday released the bureau’s first staffing study in more than a decade. According to the study, conducted by California-based Matrix Consulting Group, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police has an “exceptional” response time...
North Huntingdon to consider property rental registration
Owners of rental properties in North Huntingdon could be required to register their buildings if the township approves an ordinance that would create a list of those rental units and contact information for the tenants. North Huntingdon commissioners on Wednesday are expected to consider drafting an ordinance that would detail...
GetGo sets opening date for downtown Greensburg store
GetGo has set Aug. 16 as the planned opening date for its new Cafe + Market convenience store and gas station that is nearing completion on Greensburg’s South Main Street. Constructed on a lot formerly occupied by the closed Family Video store, just north of Euclid Avenue, the GetGo store...
Hempfield man ordered to serve 4 years in prison for sexual assaults of teens
A Hempfield man was ordered to serve up to four years in prison for the sexual assaults of three teens. Joshua Esteban Kunkle, 21, pleaded guilty in April to a reduced set of charges in connection with attacks against three juveniles over a four-year period that ended in 2020. Westmoreland...
Magisterial District Judge Mik Pappas resigns
The magisterial district judge for several of Pittsburgh’s East End neighborhoods has resigned, according to a letter obtained by the Tribune-Review. Mik Pappas was elected to Allegheny County’s 31st magisterial district in 2017, and announced last year that he would not seek reelection. District 31 includes the city’s Bloomfield, East...
Overnight closures of Andy Warhol Bridge end; work on Clemente underway
Overnight closures of the Andy Warhol Bridge have ended, Allegheny County officials said Tuesday. The closures, which began in late April, allowed for crews to install an enhanced lighting system on the span. There will be periodic single-lane closures during the day on the Andy Warhol and Rachel Carson bridges...
Free cancer screening at Allegheny Health Network facility in Hempfield
A free cancer screening event at Allegheny Health Network’s Hempfield cancer center will be held Aug. 19. The screening is open to the public and no health insurance is required. Registration for the event closes Aug. 11. Reservations can be made by calling 412-359-6665. Screenings for various types of cancer...
Eagles add Pittsburgh show to Long Goodbye tour
Legendary band the Eagles have announced the addition of a Pittsburgh stop on The Long Goodbye — The Eagles’ Final Tour. The group will play PPG Paints Arena on Sunday, Oct. 15, along with fellow Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame group Steely Dan, which is commemorating its 50-plus year...
Westmoreland happenings: Blacksmith demonstration, parish festival, golf outing, more
Submissions from nonprofit organizations for Briefly Speaking can be emailed to cpinto-smith@triblive.com. Include a complete address and daytime phone number. Submissions are due at least two weeks prior to the event. Each announcement is printed once; there is no fee. Fundraisers • Lincoln Heights Civic Association will have bingo from...
North Huntingdon police officer settles racial discrimination lawsuit for $276,000
A North Huntingdon police officer will receive about $276,000 in a settlement over the racial discrimination lawsuit he filed last year against the township and a former manager. Patrolman Albert P. Carson II will receive the payment from the negotiated out of court settlement of the lawsuit. He filed the...
Pittsburgh’s Daniel Moore loses 3rd ‘Jeopardy!’ appearance by $1Video
Just one dollar. Just one! That’s how much Pittsburgh’s Daniel Moore lost by in his third appearance on the game show “Jeopardy!” on Tuesday night. Moore faced some tougher competition from Canadian Cheslea Watt and, especially, Los Angeles lawyer David Bederman. Going into Final Jeopardy, Moore was in second place...
Morning Roundup: Police say juvenile injured in Braddock shooting
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, July 19: Police say juvenile injured in Braddock shooting Pennsylvania State Police said one person was injured in a shooting early Wednesday morning in Braddock. Emergency dispatchers said police were called to the 200 block of 6th Street...
PennDOT announces detours, shuttle service for 6-week closure of New Kensington Bridge
A six-week closure of the New Kensington Bridge will start Monday, PennDOT confirmed Tuesday. The bridge spanning the Allegheny River between East Deer and New Kensington is scheduled to close to all traffic around 9 a.m. Monday and remain closed through Sept. 4. The nearly century-old bridge is being closed...
‘Voids’ in North Huntingdon cemetery could be unmarked graves
The search for unmarked graves at a 239-year-old cemetery in North Huntingdon has found about 65 “voids” in the ground that could be unmarked graves from decades or centuries ago. “I am doing this to find those unmarked burial sites because I don’t want anyone to be forgotten. There are...
The Stroller, July 19, 2023: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least two weeks in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Friends of library asking for gift basket items Friends of Community...
Up in the air: The cost of auto repair, insurance climbing
Following suit with rising costs and inflation, the costs of automobile ownership, insurance and necessary repairs have soared in recent years and are expected to continue. Frank Ferra, president of Ferra’s Automotive Services in Sharpsburg, says expenses including wages, rent, taxes, equipment and insurance, along with the costs for parts,...
Westmoreland 250: 10 unique things in Delmont, Export, Salem
(Editor’s note: To mark Westmoreland County’s 250th birthday this year, we’ve come up with a list of 250 things — 10 things in 25 communities — that we consider to be important to the makeup of our area. This series will appear each week through December. If you have a...